Reem Assil: Reem’s California

This episode of On the Fly by tablehopper is with Charles Chen, the creator behind the wildly popular Basuku Cheesecakes. I was beyond thrilled to be able to interview Charles—he’s been a restaurant consultant for some rather high-profile food businesses here in the Bay Area, including Tartine Bakery, Stonemill Matcha, and Maum in Palo Alto, but has managed to maintain a pretty stealth profile—by design. I call him the restaurant ninja, so it was a real pleasure to be able to learn more about his deep restaurant background, his journey, and where it all began. 

But what's really fascinating, and actually quite incredible, is hearing about this extremely involved and complex experience developing this Japanese-inspired, Basque-style cheesecake and trying to scale the business to meet the ever-growing demand for what has become one of the hottest culinary items of the pandemic.  

When you hear everything Charles has gone through to even make 16 cheesecakes in his home oven, to all the schlepping and adjustments he’s had to make to bake them in other restaurant kitchens, you’ll quickly understand why they’re so hard to procure; and you’ll have so much appreciation for everything that went into that dreamy, creamy, tangy cheesecake when you finally get your first bite. Be sure to listen through to the very end for details on how to get one. We also have a fun lightning round of other tasty things to go track down as well, including ice cream, pie, and burgers in the Bay Area.

I want to thank all of you for listening in—this is our 22nd episode since launching On the Fly by tablehopper in April 2020. None of this would be possible without our producer extraordinaire, Lola Yen, and you. We’re going to take a little season break, and will be coming back soon. Be well.

Basuku on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basukucheesecakes/ 

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

This episode of On the Fly by tablehopper is with Stuart Brioza, the chef and co-owner of State Bird Provisions, The Progress, and now right around the corner, the newly opened The Anchovy Bar. Heads up: this episode is by far our longest, but as you settle in, I hope you’ll enjoy the deep storytelling in this episode. We talk about what it’s like to open a business in the pandemic, and what it was like for them to be closed while they tried to save their two existing restaurants, navigating a mountain of paperwork and an uncertain path into an unclear future, while trying to look out for their incredible team. 

This conversation is also really fun: I love the deep dive we get to take with Stuart on The Anchovy Bar menu, his ingredient sourcing, and fascinating storytelling about our local ingredients, with a look into his creative process. All three of his restaurants with his wife and partner Nicole Krasinski are absolute creative culinary powerhouses, offering unique tasting experiences and culinary journeys and a particular brand of hospitality, like no other restaurant group.

Get ready to geek out on anchovies, and oysters, and butter, and take a fun walk through their pantry vis-à-vis their ingenious Atomic Workshop line. I hope you enjoy basking in Stuart’s profound passion for not only being a chef but someone who really loves to feed people, on many levels. 

The Anchovy Bar: theanchovybar.com 

State Bird, The Progress: statebirdsf.com 

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

This episode of On the Fly by tablehopper, our twentieth, is with Vinny Eng, a community organizer and founding member of SF New Deal, and a well-known figure in the hospitality industry for his previous twelve years of service at Bar Tartine, Tartine Bakery, and the Manufactory as a general manager and wine director. Anyone who knows Vinny, or is fortunate to work with him, or call him a friend, will always be struck by how heart-centered his approach to everything is. 

Vinny sprung to action in looking out for immediate ways to help neighbors in need as soon as the state of emergency was issued, and has been an immeasurable help and force with SF New Deal and the people it serves with dignity, as well as the local restaurants it partners with, providing an important  source of consistent revenue, especially when considering the shortcomings of a PPP program that excluded many and has been exhausted, and that further federal aid has stalled.

He looks at everything holistically, with awareness of the many touch points and nuances behind who grows our food, and prepares it, and serves it, how the very people who make food and eating possible often go unseen and are unsupported during this difficult time, and how we have access to food—or don’t, and how different communities eat, and what they need.

In our conversation, we talk about ways you can help show support—for our community, for our restaurants, and the hospitality industry as a whole, and it’s not just about directing resources to meet the needs of this moment, although that helps too. Foundational to his approach is that if we solve for those closest to harm, we solve this for all of us. I always leave a conversation with Vinny with more insight, and knowledge, and compassion than I had before, and I hope this episode helps bring expansion for you in some ways as well.

And there’s a fun moment at the end, when Vinny surprises me with a lightning round of questions about some of our favorite takeout and treats right now. 

SF New Deal: sfnewdeal.org , @sfnewdeal
Impact report: sfnewdeal.org/impact-report

Lightning round: 

Ritu Indian Soul Food: ritusf.com, Tilak: tilaksf.com, Eat Salty Sweet: eatsaltysweet.com, Stonemill Matcha: stonemillmatcha.com, Miss Ollie’s Cookshop at Elda’s: eldasf.com/#MENU, Kantine: kantinesf.com,  Nopa: nopasf.com.

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

This episode of On the Fly by tablehopper is with Reem Assil, the chef and owner of Reem’s California, both in Oakland’s Fruitvale and now in San Francisco, which opened just days before the stay-at-home order in March. It’s already hard enough to open a new restaurant—in this case, San Francisco’s first Arab bakery—but Reem and her team have managed to adjust and persevere during the many challenges of these past six months. 

I’ve wanted to speak with her on the podcast about a multitude of things, from what it’s like to launch a restaurant in the first month of a pandemic, to the many adjustments they’ve had to make along the way, to hearing about her experience working with initiatives like SF New Deal. It took a little time for an even bigger reason for me to interview her to be revealed, and that is to talk about the future of restaurants, especially after these six months of upheaval, reckoning, and the growing desire to seek racially just, sustainable, and equitable business models—which is crucial since some of the most marginalized people in our society make up a large part of the restaurant industry workforce.

Reem is well-known as an activist, and worked for a decade as a community and labor organizer prior to starting her career in food. She has always cared deeply about her workers, and workplace culture, and how her business relates to the community at large, and now she is exploring how to build a worker-owned model that will fit her many criteria, and the specific needs of her workers, and what does leadership look like in a collective structure. 

At the heart of it all, Reem’s was launched to be an expression of Arab hospitality, and she talks about how they try to do it through take-out and Friday night meal kits. We also take a walk through the pastry case, and just wait until you hear about the workers’ wreath (take a look at @tablehopper on Instagram for the goods, but trust me, you really need to enjoy it in person, not just with your eyes and ears). 

Reem’s California: www.reemscalifornia.com (Instagram: @reemscalifornia); 2901 Mission St., SF; 3301 E. 12th St. #133, Oakland.

Additional links:

New Yorker video: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/video-dept/a-san-francisco-baker-on-what-hospitality-looks-like-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic 

SF New Deal: https://sfnewdeal.org 

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

This episode of On the Fly by tablehopper is with Jesse Ziff Cool, the chef and restaurateur known for her Flea Street restaurant in Menlo Park, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, an incredible achievement, as well as operating Cool Cafe on Stanford’s campus. Jesse is an early trailblazer in the organic food and sustainable agriculture movement, opening the country’s first organic restaurant in 1976, and continues to share her deep knowledge and culinary experience as an author, educator, consultant, and community activist. 

Her visionary ways have not stopped, however, and in response to the pandemic, she has completely restructured her restaurant’s compensation model. We talk about her newly launched Heart of House, which creates a more equitable structure and fair pay for her employees by offering an alternative to tipping (an outdated practice that is racist, sexist, and ageist, among other things) and instead has her team share a service charge—called a gratitude—that is distributed equally and fairly to all hourly workers. 

It’s so inspiring to hear from Jesse about how things have changed internally at the restaurant, starting with a boost in morale, which is especially needed during these challenging times. As restaurants are looking ahead to implementing structural changes that need to be made industry-wide, this interview will hopefully inspire and educate. Thank you for listening.

Flea Street: www.cooleatz.com (Instagram: @flea_street)

To reach Jesse, her email is jesse@cooleatz.com  

Meals of Gratitude: mealsofgratitude.org

Articles: 

Racist History of Tipping: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/07/17/william-barber-tipping-racist-past-227361 

Chef Amanda Cohen on How the No-Tipping Movement Will Survive: https://www.grubstreet.com/2020/07/chef-amanda-cohen-on-no-tipping.html

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

Today’s episode of On the Fly is with Gwyneth Borden, the founder of Ground Floor Experiences, providing restaurant consulting, strategic advice, and thought leadership. Gwyneth is well-known in San Francisco across many industries for her deep and varied background, from 20 years of public policy to five years as the Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. Get ready for a high wattage interview, because we cover a lot of ground discussing many aspects of what the restaurant industry is facing at this moment: what does it need to survive now, and what needs to change moving forward, from treating restaurant workers with dignity to creating a new kind of workplace culture.  

This is a fascinating interview, as Gwyneth takes us behind the curtain and walks us through the architecture of the San Francisco restaurant industry and the political machine. She has such a unique perspective that spans restaurant needs and policy, which is why we are so fortunate to have her as a figurehead of the Bay Area Hospitality Coalition, working closely with other restaurant coalitions throughout the U.S. Her expertise and connections are tremendous assets for the work the coalition is doing right now to save our independent restaurants, which, I’d like to add, she is doing tirelessly for no pay right now. Yeah, we need to take good care of her, and we owe her more than just thanks. If you care about the future of our restaurants, and want to know how to help, this is an interview you won’t want to miss.

Bay Area Hospitality Coalition: https://bayareahospitalitycoalition.com/, @bayareahospitalitycoalition

Independent Restaurant Coalition: https://www.saverestaurants.com/, @indprestaurants 

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

This episode of On the Fly is with chef Fernay McPherson, the award-winning, entrepreneurial force behind Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, a fried chicken joint known as much for its trademark rosemary fried chicken as its next-level sides. While Minnie Bell’s is located in the Emeryville Public Market, its roots run deep in San Francisco’s Fillmore District, where Fernay is a third-generation Fillmore native. This episode runs a touch longer than our other conversations, so I hope you can take a little time to downshift and listen to Fernay’s journey as she’s been steadfastly building her business over the past twelve years. 

Her story is one of great resilience, resolve, and belief in herself. In this episode, you’ll hear the many adjustments, challenges, and learnings she’s had along the way, from the experience of being a La Cocina entrepreneur, to running a mobile trailer while driving for MUNI and being a mother, to building her catering business, to running pop-ups, which is all fodder for an upcoming project to help others who are following their food dreams on a similar path to hers. 

Fernay also shares what it feels like as a Black female business owner during the Black Lives Matter movement, and having to regulate her space so she can tell her story on her terms, and on her chosen platforms, at a time that feels right for her. 

Make time to head over to Minnie Bell’s for a delicious and truly soulful meal, and if you can, please order the Pay it Forward Community Meal as well so she can continue to feed those in need in her beloved Fillmore community. 

Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement: www.minniebellssoul.com

Emeryville Public Market

5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville

GoFundMe for Minnie Bell’s employees: www.gofundme.com/f/minniebells 

Read her recent piece for Food & Wine that we refer to in the interview here: www.foodandwine.com/news/oakland-chef-stands-with-protestors-violence-against-property-is-nothing-close-to-violence-against-people

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

This episode of On the Fly is with Sarah Kirnon, the chef and owner of Miss Ollie’s in Old Oakland. Miss Ollie’s is much more than just a place renowned for its skillet-fried chicken—Sarah is a builder of friendships, a teacher to many in the Bay Area culinary community, and at Miss Ollie’s, is nurturing a sacred space for her community to gather in, a place where Black and queer folx are celebrated, seen, cared for, honored, uplifted, and yes, well-fed. 

Miss Ollie’s is a place of healing and a charging station for the community—it’s also a rare and endangered third place—not only as a queer, female, Black-owned business, but also as one of the thousands of local restaurants struggling and fighting so hard to keep the doors open and the records spinning, for themselves, and their community during this pandemic. 

California governor Gavin Newsom visited Miss Ollie’s in early June, a couple weeks after the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests began, and of all the restaurants and places to visit, I was so happy to see he called upon this one. Which is why I reached out to Sarah for this episode—I wanted to hear directly from Sarah herself about what wisdom she had for Gavin and for us. I also craved a deeper conversation with Sarah about what Miss Ollie’s stands for, why it resonates so much, and the many ways she feeds and shows up and holds space for the community. 

I look forward to seeing you at Miss Ollie’s, enjoying Sarah’s goat curry and rhum punch and it would be great if you could buy a community plate while you’re there for someone else in need of a meal made with love and care. There’s more we can do, but that’s an excellent place to start. 

Miss Ollie’s: 901 Washington St., Oakland 

www.realmissolliesoakland.com 

@missolliesoakland

Two-Top: 

Feed Hospitality box: visit cuesa.org/feedhospitality

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

This episode of On the Fly is with Jay Foster, a well-known San Francisco chef and restaurateur, who has been feeding us with heart and intention in his authentically cool and soulful establishments for the past 18 years. From his early days at Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack and Blue Jay Cafe, to 13 years running the beloved and greatly missed Farmerbrown, Jay has been a champion for the diverse and vibrant San Francisco we are, or should I say were once known for being. 

Jay has fought hard for the disappearing Black San Francisco, and now he’s part of its list of casualties: he’s one of our few Black chefs, and with the closure of Farmerbrown and his most-recent project in the Fillmore last fall, Isla Vida, we’ve lost one of our city’s few Black restaurateurs. Jay has been trying to take a break from the grind of disadvantaged ownership and work for others for a change, utilizing his years of experience and knowledge and well-honed skills. In a city where upper-level restaurant managers and executives are a valuable asset, in our interview, you’ll hear his discouraging experience that further revealed a racist system designed to undervalue him. 

What is a San Francisco without Black executives, and Black-owned restaurants, and diverse places for the community to gather? What happens when our keepers of the flame, of our city’s African American heritage and traditions and cuisine and vibrant history, are continually being blown out? As you listen to this interview with Jay Foster, you’ll hear his firsthand account of what happens when we don’t do enough to protect and uplift the Black community, culture, business, and heritage, and support equity, equality, opportunity, and visibility.

Articles mentioned in the podcast:

Bloomberg: Black Business Owners’ Ranks Collapse by 41% in U.S. Lockdowns

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-08/black-business-owners-suffer-41-drop-in-covid-19-lockdowns

Bon Appétit: Running Restaurants in San Francisco Made Me Rethink Everything I Thought I Knew About Success

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/chef-jay-foster-closing-restaurants

Two-Top: 

1. La Cocina Catering: lacocinasf.org/cater. Black-owned businesses include A Girl Named Pinky, Boug Cali, Crumble and Whisk, Healing Kitchen, MexiQ, Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, Peaches Patties, Pinky and Red’s, Teranga Life, and Zella Soulful Kitchen. 

2. Bayview Bistro Box: bayviewbistrosf.com

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.

Today’s episode of On the Fly is with Christine Farren, the executive director of CUESA, the visionary nonprofit organization that operates San Francisco’s world-renowned Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and Mission Community Market.

Christine is a well-known and beloved face of the market, a shining contact point for all the farmers and vendors, the chefs and bartenders who frequent the market, many regular customers, plus everyone who's part of all the community and educational programming they do. 

It also means that she’s operating at the center of this crisis, having to make swift adjustments for the market's shifting customer base and revenue model, institute safe shopping practices for customers and farmers and her incredible team, while simultaneously trying to take care of the many communities CUESA is so close with. 

To that end, she tells us about the Feed Hospitality initiative developed with the San Francisco Chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, which is distributing fresh produce boxes to unemployed hospitality workers while providing vital income for local farms—it’s a great thing to contribute to since your donation will be matched.

We learn more about how farms are adapting and operating through the crisis, and why some of the smaller farms CUESA works with directly who grow year-round present the best model for sustainability and quality of life for their farm workers—you’ll hear some staggering stats. It’s a lot to think about.

Since we're good friends, we also go a little deep on the human experience right now, and what this all means for the future.

CUESA: https://cuesa.org/

Feed Hospitality: https://cuesa.org/feedhospitality

Market box: https://cuesa.org/cuesabox

Two-Top: 

1.  Incubator Series: https://www.hineighborsf.com

Order from Junju, Schmaltz, Ines, AttaGirl Hospitality: https://incubatorseries.square.site  

15% discount on your total order (code: HOPPER15), or you can opt for delivery instead and get a special cocktail (the Ode to Jerry) for free—it requires a $20 minimum order, while supplies last. 

If you’re a Bay Area business or individual and want to be featured in On the Fly, please fill out the form at bit.ly/ontheflyguest.